re: Is it aliens? Scientists detect more mysterious radio signals from distant galaxy

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Are they AM or FM?

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Yes.

Seriously, regarding reproduction, intelligent aliens are more likely to be bisexual than sexual. Our own, and only, sample of intelligence involves sexual reproduction between strongly dimorphic, gender-specific specimens.

This has hampered the development of a civilization that is focused upon knowledge. It, along with an orientation to day and night (dark and light) has made us into a most dichotomous species.

We think and behave in terms of twos. Male and female, good and evil, powerful and weak, rich and poor, smart and dumb, republicans and democrats, left-brain and right-brain, etc. Groups of humans readily polarize around single issues.

We adhere so strongly to this way of thinking that we commit wanton violence against those who take an opposing view, killing massive numbers of our own species. We have "advanced" to the point that we have the ability to completely destroy our entire species before we are able to step to the next stage of evolution, interstellar travel via AI.

Would a species that isn't dichotomous be as destructive? If every member of an intelligent species could give birth to offspring, would there be less motivation to polarize around issues? Would there be more incentive to think in terms of ones instead of twos?

Imagine.

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I'm on your side actually.

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Oh, I know. I understood what you were saying. I just used it as an opportunity to re-emphasize that AI is being used in the search for ET.

I agree with you that ET is out there. We're getting closer and closer to definitive proof. The math says ET exists but scientists are oriented to observation. It'll happen. Soon.

Nice pic of a grey. A little on the atrophied side so not physically scary. Might be holding something scary in its hand, though.

Never mind.

That thing gives off zero facial expression. It looks pissed that it has to do whatever it's boss made it do.

I have to agree with Hawking. I used to be excited about the discovery of life elsewhere, but it’s too fraught with peril.

You assume that some vastly superior species is going to welcome us with outstretched arms. They might just stamp their foot and that would be that. We might be nothing more than the equivalent of a squirrel to them, or worse, a fly. Then again maybe they already know us and we live on a prison planet. Maybe that’s why we can’t fricking make it back to the moon. And do you think human beings could accept that there are beings far superior to them in every way? What does the alpha species do when it finds out that, well, they’re no big deal. To anyone.

And on a side note, if we ever discover microbial life on an asteroid, moon or whatever...that shite needs to stay the frick off this planet. But it won’t. We’ll either weaponize it or monetize it. You know it’s true.

We need to turn that broadcasting shite off and keep our mouths shut. You seem to think it’ll be some glorious revelation to be found. I think it would be the nightmare of nightmares. Those alien invasion movies are nonsense, they’ll just drop as many rocks on us as it takes, and then take what’s left.

But the reality? This distances are so vast, I doubt that humans discover alien life before our own extinction. You know there’s a rock out there with our name on it, but we’re too busy dumping our resources into more and better weapons to kill each other rather than defend the planet. I mean, frick, cmon guys, we know that it happens, the science proves it ,we can probably stop it if we exploit the technology for safety of the planet, but no, we need more weapons to kill each other.

AI? Well maybe but a lot of good that does anyone. Why would an alien intelligence deal with us when they can just deal with the AI? We would just be another step on the path of evolution.

I just don’t think there are welcoming arms waiting for us. We’ll be lucky if we get indifference.

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As we know and understand it.

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We know all the ingredients for life. It’s the recipe that still eludes scientists. Synthetic life has been achieved in the lab by inserting artificially created DNA into a vacated natural cell but the holy grail is still elusive; a completely synthetic, reproducing cell.